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Spot fines for litter louts doubled to £150

Cleaning up litter costs the taxpayer almost £800 million a yearChris Harris for The Times

The maximum on-the-spot fine for dropping litter in England will almost double from £80 to £150 from April, the government has confirmed.

Car owners will be fined automatically if they are caught throwing any litter out of a window, without the need to prove who was responsible.

The government announced the changes after a survey showed that 81 per cent of people were angered by the amount of litter in the streets and in the countryside, which costs the taxpayer almost £800 million a year to clean up.

More than 85 per cent of people supported increasing fixed penalties for littering in a government consultation held this summer.

In addition to the increase in the maximum fine that councils can impose, the minimum fine will…